Metadata (tmPreferences) files - indentation setting "preserveIndent"

[keith-hall]

The documentation on metadata/tmPreferences files (http://docs.sublimetext.info/en/latest/reference/metadata.html) doesn't mention the preserveIndent setting.

As an example, this setting is currently (true as of build 3118) set to true in the Default package Indentation Rules - Comments.tmPreferences file, for the comment scope. More info here: sublimehq/sublime_text#1271 (comment)

[keith-hall]

Also worth mentioning:

• highlightPairs - https://github.com/sublimehq/Packages/blob/e27e856bd90036c20793a79107cc32141efe78f1/XML/Miscellaneous.tmPreferences#L35-L57 (note: doesn't seem to have any affect in ST?)
• batchDecreaseIndentPattern - https://github.com/sublimehq/Packages/blob/e27e856bd90036c20793a79107cc32141efe78f1/HTML/Miscellaneous.tmPreferences#L15-L24
• batchIncreaseIndentPattern - https://github.com/sublimehq/Packages/blob/e27e856bd90036c20793a79107cc32141efe78f1/HTML/Miscellaneous.tmPreferences#L27-L35
• indentSquareBrackets - https://github.com/sublimehq/Packages/blob/e27e856bd90036c20793a79107cc32141efe78f1/JavaScript/JSON%20Indent.tmPreferences#L63-L64
• icon - https://github.com/gerardroche/Packages/blob/e7a8fb7621ed91e1e86b42161cba2a0e5301b478/C%2B%2B/file_type_c.tmPreferences#L9-L10
• indentParens - Packages/Default/Indentation Rules.tmPreferences#L15-16

[FichteFoll]

I noticed a few of these settings, notably batch*IndentPattern, but have no idea what they do compared to the non-batch version. Do you know?

The others should be simple enough to be mentioned, so thanks for the heads-up.

[keith-hall]

Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea how the batch patterns differ from the "normal" ones... It doesn't seem to be a TextMate thing, because they are not mentioned here: https://manual.macromates.com/en/preferences_items.html

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The only difference I have noticed, while experimenting with the indentation rules, is that changing decreaseIndentPattern to batchDecreaseIndentPattern and increaseIndentPattern to batchIncreaseIndentPattern stops it from changing the indentation as you type, though it still works with the reindent command...
i.e. in HTML (which uses the batch rules), it doesn't change the indentation after typing Enter <div> Enter or Enter </div> Enter, but in XML (which doesn't use the batch rules), it does change the indentation. Confirmed by changing the tmPreferences file.

[FichteFoll]

stops it from changing the indentation as you type, though it still works with the reindent command

Ah, that could be it exactly (and would also make sense with their naming). Basically, batch* patterns are only applied when reindenting blocks (i.e. multiple lines of code) while the normal patterns also apply when auto_indent is true and a newline is inserted.

[keith-hall]

just wanted to make a note here that I have listed a lot of indentation engine info at https://forum.sublimetext.com/t/everything-you-n-ever-wanted-to-know-about-indentation-in-st3/26207 which we could pull into the undocs